Nasa chief warns US Congress about Chinese space station
- Beijing has announced plans for a permanent platform that it hopes will be operational by 2022
- Jim Bridenstine says US must maintain presence in Earth’s orbit after ISS is decommissioned so Asian superpower does not gain strategic advantage
Nasa chief Jim Bridenstine told lawmakers on Wednesday it was crucial for the US to maintain a presence in Earth’s orbit after the International Space Station is decommissioned so that China does not gain a strategic advantage.
The first parts of the ISS were launched in 1998 and it has been continuously lived in since 2000.
The station, which serves as a space science lab and is a partnership between the US, Russia, Japan, Europe and Canada, is currently expected to be operated until 2030.
“I’ll tell you one thing that has me very concerned – and that is that a day is coming when the International Space Station comes to the end of its useful life,” Bridenstine said.
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“In order to be able to have the United States of America have a presence in low Earth orbit, we have to be prepared for what comes next,” he added.